Top 5 Growing Health Careers for the Next Decade

The health care industry is currently expanding at a fast rate. Traditionally, doctors and nurses have been the major positions of job growth in the medical field. The call for such qualified professionals continues to be strong but the need for other medical positions that complement the work of doctors, nurses and dentists is in increasing demand. Many of these jobs require less than 4 years of education and initial training to be eligible for employment. Some positions can even be obtained with only 2 years of formal training.

Medical Assistants

The medical profession has come to realize that shifting some of the administrative and daily organizational tasks to lower skilled workers can save time and labor workload for the premium medically trained positions such as nurses and doctors. Medical assistants are expected to be in much higher demand as the next decade progresses. Their job description includes such tasks as handling billing and insurance paperwork, scheduling meetings and appointments for medical professionals, managing medical records and taking phone calls.

Physician Assistants

A physician assistant position requires require a certain amount of formal training and the passing of a national licensing exam. These positions are going to be in greater demand for the upcoming decade because of many physicians’ needs for supplemental care support. Services that physician assistants offer include many forms of diagnostic, therapeutic and preventative treatments.

Dental Assistants

Dental assistants are expected to experience a large increase in job demand over the next decade. They are hired for similar reasons as medical and physician assistants are with respect to doctors and nurses. Through the training they receive, dental assistants are able to provide many of the same services that a professional dentist can perform. This frees up the dentist for some of the more major tasks and saves the dental practice on labor costs through increased efficiency.

Home Health Assistants and Aides

Individuals who take care of patients at their homes constitute home health aides. The baby boom generation is now taking care of their elderly parents who are currently living longer than ever before. The younger generation unlike previous generations is willing to hire other people to care for their parents. This profession is currently one of the fastest growing medical careers and is expected to keep increasing over the next decade.

Surgical Technician

The job of surgical technician or technologist is an excellent way to enter the arena of the health industry with a relatively short period of training. It is an in-demand profession for the next decade because of the increasing need for efficient operation in the surgery room. Many community colleges offer two year programs to educate and train for the position of surgical technician. The job involves keeping the surgical environment clean and sterile and organized for doctors and nurses conducting surgical procedures. An excellent knowledge of the various medical instruments and equipment involved in surgery is also a requirement. Surgical technicians attend closely to both surgeons and other medical staff during many types of surgical procedures.

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